I would have to second Steve Herman's ideas about Sagebrush Flats. Areas
of sagebrush/bunchgrass on deep-soil sites are getting hard to find. I
have spent alot of time in Sagebrush Flats (40 hrs/week for 3 months)
chasing around shrub-steppe birds and Pygmy Rabbits (Wascally wabbitus),
and this is a unique area. The large majority of deep-soil sites in
eastern Washington are now deep-soil farms, leaving only those areas that
are too rocky to plow for sagebrush and its dependent species. It's
ironic that from a regional perspective the only very large tracts of
deep-soil Artemisia sites in public domain are products of war: the
Army's Yakima Training Center and Hanford/ALE. A bigger battle than
Sagebrush Flats will soon be brewing when Hanford is auctioned off to the
loudest (not necessarily highest) bidder. Hanford/ALE represents the
best and largest contiguous tract of Artemisia/bunchgrass left in
Washington. It holds several deep-soil sites which would produce great
crops, and its close location to water would ensure easy irrigation. ALE
has been 'locked up' as a research area for years, but the future of the
rest of Hanford is uncertain. While we're campaigning for Sagebrush
Flats, we should also be thinking about Hanford. When it comes around to
auction time, we need to be the loudest bidder. Just for fun, here are
some stats from my (recently finished!!!!) thesis:

Regional availability of habitats in nonforested Eastern Washington
(Columbia Basin, Palouse, Methow and Okanogan Valleys):

Agriculture: 50% (3.1 million ha)
Water/wetlands: 3% (189,000 ha)
Grass-dominated lands: 23% (1.5 million ha)
Shrub-dominated lands: 18% (1.1 million ha)
Urban: 1% (63K ha)
Tree Savannah: 5% (315K ha)

Of the 6.4 million hectares, only 5% is public land managed for wildlife
(316,747 ha). This includes the ALE site and Sagebrush Flats. ALE is
31,086 ha, and Sagebrush flats is 1613 ha.

The shrub-dominated lands are primarily Artemisia. Grass-dominated lands
includes grazed lands, and are not to be confused with pristine
grasslands, which make up only 0.5% or 31,237 ha. I see now that I need
another number (which I don't have) of how many patches that is, because
they are mostly tiny grassland remnants.

The conversion of Hanford to a wildlife refuge would add another 125,169
ha of mostly pristine shrub-steppe to the present level, an increase in
wildlife areas of 40%, the majority of which is deep-soil
Artemisia/bunchgrass habitat (with a few areas of high radiation thrown
in for good measure - maybe mutations will result in new species!!). It
seems like this is exactly what these birds need, large contiguous tracts
of habitat, not a patchwork of small sites with no plan for coordination.

The issue of grazing is a difficult one to comprehend. Cows select grass
over sagebrush, so grazing actually increases the shrub cover in areas
(unless it's trampled, which tends to turn it to mustard/cheatgrass
monocultures). Grazing in more patchy shrub-grass habitats will cause
cheatgrass to dominate. So grazing in the right numbers could increase
Pygmy Rabbit habitat by increasing Artemisia, their principal
food/cover. The issue of how birds use steppe habitats is complex, too.
Weins and Rotenberry have published greatly on the matter, and they
basically say that structural components are preferred over vegetative
components. But that doesn't always work either. Sage Sparrows will
inhabit one patch of sagebrush while ignoring a second, seemingly
identical area. Obviously something we're overlooking, or there are less
sparrows than habitat. One think has come up in the literature, the
importance of shrub vigor for steppe species. Healthy shrubs are usually
preferred to poor shrubs. So the bottom line is grazing will help some
species and hurt others, and it also depends greatly on how many cows are
in x number of acres.

Just for fun, a really neat grassland site (it's also a really neat
sight) is DNR's Kahlotus Ridgetop, which is a large remnant of
Festuca/Agropyron, with a very small shrub component. You have to kick
the Grasshopper Sparrows out of your way here. If you want to visit, be
sure to get permission from the DNR first, it's T14N R34E S16. And write
Jennifer Belcher about Sagebrush Flats (visit it in the southern half of
T23N R25E). All the Sagebrush species can be found here, but don't
disturb the grouse if you find 'em.

Andy, I'd like to hear your comments on Hanford as well.

____________________________
Mike Smith
Univ. of Washington, Seattle
whimbrel at u.washington.edu